wheel

Question
hi! my hamsters (syrian) love to run on their wheel alot. they'll run until they're exhausted. they all live in separate cages. i decided to take the wheel out & only put the wheel in for a few hours during the evening. is this ok? how long can a hamster go without the wheel? i heard that hamsters can't live without their wheels. is this true? can i limit their use of the wheels?
would appreciate any tips. thanks.  

Answer
Hi

In the wild hamsters are reported to run 5 miles every night in search of food.  They originated in the desert, hence, during the day time when it was hot they lived underground and at night when it was much cooler they would look for food.

In captivity it is vital hamsters are allowed the same amount of exercise.  Without sufficient exercise they can develop what is known as cage paralysis.

Have you tried another type of exercise for them - such as exercise balls?  Some hamsters love these and it gives them a different type of exercise in that they can move in all directions and not just pounding the wheel in the same direction all evening.  You will either need to let them take turns in the ball, or invest in one each (I used to have 10 hamsters all running around in their exercise balls every evening - it was very funny).  If you do get them an exercise ball, tape the centre join and one of the doors closed on it (if there are two) before you start using it.  Once the hamster is inside, put a bit of tape over the other door as they love to try and escape and if they bang into furniture the exercise ball can sometimes split open.

Of course you can limit their usage in their wheel to a certain extent - perhaps just put the wheels in when you go to bed, so that while you are there with them you could get them out one at a time and play with them - then they can run in their wheel throughout the night.  One of my hamsters has a missing foot therefore she can't have a wheel because the repetitive movement would injure her, so I've filled her cage with loads of climbing frames, ladders and tubes for her to play in and she seems very happy with that, and she always has a good run in her exercise ball in the evening.

In my experience, for many hamsters their wheel is a bit like a safety blanket - they feel safe and secure in it - some even curl up and sleep in it, so I am always reluctant to take the wheel away for any length of time, but providing you are giving your hamsters a chance to exercise and keep fit, limiting their access to their wheel on a daily basis is fine.

Regards